Bookbird 1 / 2018

Bookbird 56.1 (2018) Translation and Transmedia

‘Translation’ and ‘Transmedia’ are terms that mean different things to different people. The first Bookbird of 2018 addresses these differences with a number of articles reflecting various aspects of these topics which are very relevant for today’s children’s books world.

A discussion about the attitude in the British book market towards inward translation compared to other markets is timely in view of current European political preoccupations. Another article highlights the dilemmas faced by a translator when trying to be faithful to an original work, while unable to ignore the demands of a global publishing market.

How James Joyce’s story, the Cat and the Devil, written for his grandson, fares in French translation is likely to intrigue readers. Thought-provoking too are articles about translation in minority languages, and an article about the rise in translation into Latin of children’s books in recent years may well surprise those who have not considered the language’s potential in the present-day.

Very much related to concerns of the present day is a discussion about how the interactive and ‘trans-sensory’ potential of an app version of a young adult novel may extend its meaning for readers through the engagement of multiple-sense experiences. Bookbird Editor, Björn Sundmark and guest editor, Anna Kerchy have written introductions which contextualize the articles, and also talk about other relevant issues affecting translations of books for young people. Allied to this as a practical demonstration of the international appeal of children’s books, is a feature on Munich’s International Youth Library’s travelling exhibition, ‘ViVa Vostok: Literature for Children and Young Adults from Central and Eastern Europe in the German-Speaking Area’.

Regular feature ‘Books on Books’ offers a close-up on critical works about children’s literature from China, Germany, Austria, Japan, as well as on a publication about classical literature for young readers and one on translating children’s literature. Short reviews of children’s books include titles from Taiwan, Kosovo, USA, Palestine and South Africa in the ‘Postcard’ section of Bookbird. ‘Focus IBBY’ carries news of IBBY activities from around the world, and this issue features obituaries on two prominent IBBY and children’s literature activists, Tayo Shima from Japan and Miep Diekmann from the Netherlands.

As always, this issue of Bookbird is full of information about many aspects of writing, publishing, translating, and promoting children’s books from around the world.

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